The invention relates to an air filter for a ventilation device of a motor vehicle. The invention furthermore relates to a method for the installation of such an air filter.
Such an air filter for a ventilation device of a motor vehicle, for example an air conditioning or heating unit, is already known from DE 10 2005 048 841 B3, the air filter comprising a frame element holding a filter element. This frame element, which surrounds the filter element on the outer circumference, has two plug openings, via which the frame element or the whole air filter can be connected to a receiving shaft of the ventilation device to form respective plug connections with respective bolt-like guiding elements.
Until now, a different air filter with specifically formed and arranged or spaced apart plug openings has been used for each ventilation device. Furthermore, if an air filter, for example, which has corresponding plug openings, is used in a ventilation device not provided for this purpose and as a result no plug connection is produced with the respective plug openings of the air filter, an amount of leakage air can pass through via the respective plug openings. This means that unfiltered air sucked in from outside can pass through the air filter into the vehicle interior which can lead to a loss of comfort for the vehicle passengers.
The object of the present invention is therefore to create an air filter as well as a method for the installation of such an air filter, by means of which the air filter can be used in different variants of ventilation devices.
This object is solved according to the invention by an air filter as well as a method for the installation of such an air filter. Advantageous embodiments with expedient and significant developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.
In order to create an air filter of the abovementioned type, which can be used in different variants of ventilation devices, it is provided according to the invention that the frame element of the air filter has at least one preparation for the production of the plug opening. In other words, the frame element of the air filter according to the invention firstly has no plug opening, but rather only one respective preparation, in the region of which the respective plug opening is introduced as required or depending on the respective variant of the ventilation device. Since there are no unused plug openings as a result, no amount of leakage air can flow through to the vehicle interior, for example, which could lead to loss of comfort for the vehicle passengers. In fact, the air filter can either be installed completely without plug openings or rather only with such plug openings which are introduced in line with demand, depending on the respective variant of the ventilation device before installation in the region of the respective preparations.
A plurality of possibilities is thereby conceivable for the preparation.
A first embodiment of the invention provides that the preparation for the respective plug opening comprises a marking of a material region of the frame element to be removed. The marking can thereby be a color and/or material application to the respective frame element in particular. A fitter, for example, can therefore provide the frame element in the region of the marking or the preparation with a corresponding plug opening in a simple manner, in which the correspondingly marked material region of the frame element is removed.
Alternatively or in addition to the marking, the preparation for the plug opening can also be formed by a material weakening of a material region of the frame element to be removed. In this case, it would be conceivable, in particular, to form the preparation or the material region to be removed by a perforation, a circumferential groove or indentation, or rather by an overall material weakening, such that, if necessary, the respective plug opening can be created in a simple manner, for example by breaking out, punching out or cutting out.
In this respect, it has been shown to be advantageous, in particular, if a handle in the material region of the frame element to be removed, for example a tab, a grip or a nipple are provided on the material region to be removed. The material region to be removed can therefore be removed in a simple manner by pulling, pushing or similar on the handle.
Alternatively or in addition to the marking or the material weakening, the preparation for the plug opening can also comprise an attachment for a tool to remove the material region. In this case, it is conceivable, for example, to provide a centring for a drill or a different attachment which is optionally marked by a color and/or material application and can furthermore optionally also a have material weakening in order to achieve a simple removal of the corresponding material region by using tools.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, a plurality of preparations is thereby provided in order to create respective plug openings. A preferred embodiment thereby provides that a plurality of variant-specific preparations is provided, wherein respective material regions of the frame element to be removed can be removed depending on the variant of the ventilation device. In other words, several preparations are therefore provided according to the invention, of which only those material regions in which the corresponding plug opening is used, are removed. The other preparations therefore remain unaffected or no plug openings are introduced such that no leakage air can pass via this into the vehicle interior. If necessary, it is thereby also conceivable to leave all preparations unused or to not introduce any plug openings into the frame element such that, in the case of a ventilation device which does not have any guiding elements on the side of the receiving shaft, the air filter can also be used.
As a result, it is thus recognizable that an air filter is created according to the invention which can be used in different variants of ventilation devices, which each have different bolt-like guiding elements or do not have any guiding elements at all.
The advantages referred to above in connection with the air filter according to the invention therefore apply in the same way for the method.
Further advantages, features and details of the invention arise from the following description of a preferred exemplary embodiment as well as with the aid of the drawings.